June - August 2006 Archive
27-August-2006 I've just returned from a weeks vacation expecting my inbox to be overflowing with news however there is still hardly anything to report.
One of our reporters noticed this item on eBay which differs from the standard dealer version as it has a white grille, it's a Porsche 997 GT3 Press Version which sold for a whopping 153 Euros.
I'm sure by now that you will know that the Montoya McLaren Team Edition models in both scales have been cancelled due to lack of pre-orders however is that the true reason ? Whilst these models were always popular the large majority of collectors I know weren't prepared to pay the high postage costs McLaren were charging and much preferred to take their chances and purchase them direct from other sources such as dealers or eBay. One things for sure I don't think Ron Dennis is a fan of NASCAR !
13-August-2006 Some news just in. You may remember the information I posted a few months ago about a Phillips Shaver promotion with a Williams F1 Showcar promotional model ? Well better late than never we have managed to track one down and here are the photos to prove it (thanks Marco !)
It seems this one was priced at a cool 650 Euros !
05-August-2006 We have managed to obtain a sneak preview of some of the items available in the new Porsche Drivers Selection Catalogue which is not available until September ! One interesting item is the Porsche Martini Racing set with several new Minichamps models which has been assigned a part number of WAP 020 Set 11.
The 917 K with tail fins and the 935 are completely new Minichamps models whilst the other two have different starting numbers and the whole set is limited to 3000 pieces. The 911 RSR is also available in a set with a beautiful Porsche/Martini watch for around 450 Euros.
Whilst I know I've already issued a collectors alert I've noticed an increase in the number of fraudulent Minichamps auctions from 'sellers' based in China offering items on a 'Buy-It-Now' option. In addition to this there are a number of fraudulent 'Second Chance Offers' being issued by fraudsters on legitimate items so please take care. It goes without saying that if in doubt always contact the seller via the eBay website rather than clicking on any links in suspicious emails.
25-July-2006 We've just had word that Minichamps will be producing a 1/12 version of the 1994 McLaren F1 GTR Road Car in silver complete with details such as a replica Kenwood stereo and 'highly detailed' BMW V12 engine. The part number is 530 133129 and it's slated for second quarter 2007, price £199.99.
Also the Da Matta Panasonic model we mentioned in our last update was not a record price for this model, that went to one that was sold by a UK based seller last year for a cool £435 !
22-July-2006 As you can probably gather it's been another slow week in diecast land however it seems Minichamps have finally got round to releasing the 2006 launch cars. In addition to this the McLaren MP 4/21 Team Edition race cars in both scales for both drivers are available to preorder from McLaren
I don't know if anyone remembers the Panasonic Toyota 2004 Showcar Promo model of Christiano Da Matta we featured over twelve months ago ? Well one just sold on Yahoo! Auctions Japan for JPY 36,000 which equates to £166 Sterling. Must be a record for both a Toyota and a Da Matta model ?
14-July-2006 eBay Alert ! Over the last few weeks it has become apparent that a new scam has started on eBay which involves items being 'advertised' by 'sellers' from China.
The scam works something like this - a legitimate seller lists a high value item on eBay and the fraudster simply offers the same item at around half the legitimate sellers price on a 'Buy-It-Now' option. On the several items that I've noticed recently the fraudster simply copies the legitimate sellers auction photo and description and uses it as their own, usually the Chinese based 'seller' has zero or little feedback. In one case the 'seller' had a +10 feedback rating which had been created falsely by creating other false user id's and 'bidding' on fictitious items listed under titles such as 'ZZ' or 'QQ', needless to say it was reported to eBay and the auction was pulled. The items I've noticed all appear to be handbuilts such as BBR, MR etc but it's only a matter of time before the high value Minichamps items grab their attention.
It goes without saying that you should always check a sellers feedback rating before bidding on anything on eBay. I know it's easy to get carried away in the heat of the moment as I've done it myself however the general rule of thumb is if it's too good to be true then it usually is.
07-July-2006 Some more information on that Porsche 356 we featured a few days ago. Our reporter who attended the Le Mans 24 Hours a few weeks ago confirmed that the model was not for sale at the event however as it's the Le Mans Classic event this weekend we are assuming it will be available there
I don't know how many email enquiries I've had about this subject over the last few years but it's been several dozen and to be honest I've lost count however I hope this latest news is welcomed by the collectors who posed the question in the first place - Minichamps are going to make some 1/18 scale Le Mans models !
And for the 1/43 Le Mans collectors the following
It's the Goodwood Festival Of Speed this weekend and our reporters are out in force so if there is anything new to report I'm sure we'll have it posted later tomorrow evening.
04-July-2006 It seems that another Le Mans special was released to coincide with the 2006 race however until now nobody appears to have noticed it's existence. This one is a silver Porsche 356 Coupe #46 piloted by Veuillet/Mouche which ran at the 1951 race. Limited to 999 pieces it commemorates 100 years of Le Mans 1906 to 2006 and has a part number of 403516746.
30-June-2006 Some news just in from our new Japanese reporter! The 'Kyosho Fair and Miniatures Model 2006' takes place in Nogoya Japan between the 20th - 25th July and Minichamps have released two 1,000 piece models to coincide with the show.
Kyosho Alfa Romeo 156
Kyosho Bugatti EB110
19-June-2006 A couple of new models have made an appearance this week and are available on eBay. The first are the new style Williams F1 packaged 1/43 scale models of both Webber and Rosberg
The second are the new Sauber BMW promotional models in 1/18th.
16-June-2006 With Fernando Alonso being flavour of the month at the moment it's understandable that Minichamps will make a model at any given opportunity - this one is slated for Q4 release
Also announced is another limited edition model - comes with 'Just Married' on the rear spoiler
It's hardly surprising that the following models have been cancelled from the Minichamps F1 programme
14-June-2006 We have received confirmation from one of our reporters in Japan that the Mini Car Fan 911R Porsche models we featured last week will not be produced by Minichamps. Whilst we understand that the initial plan was to use them to produce the models it seems they are manufactured in China.
If you are going to produce a model of a world famous rally driver then at least have the decency to spell the guys name correctly - the latest Ford Focus Rallye Mexico winners set 402 048379 carries the incorrect spelling of Markko Martin's name as 'Maertin'.........ooops !
09-June-2006 The T2M Porsche promotional model for today is the 2005 race car.............wonder how many Porsche models will be released next week ?
08-June-2006 Once again a new T2M Porsche 911 GT3 RS promotional model has appeared on eBay - this one is the Le Mans 'Test Day' car from the 2005 race.
One interesting news item about the latest 'Mini Car Fan' models which just happen to be a couple of 911R Porsches in silver and red Click Here! nobody seems to be able to confirm if these will actually be made by Minichamps or not, if anyone has any information we will of course like to hear from you.
01-June-2006 It's been a few weeks now since we had news of a new Porsche promotional model however here is the latest one. It's a T2M 999 piece promotional model #91 car from Spa 2005 part number 403 056991.
